Study: Perry, Dewhurst and Straus Reap Millions from TEF donors

Texas’ top three lawmakers have collected more than $3.6 million in contributions from donors affiliated with companies that received millions in grants from a state incentive program, according to a new study from a state watchdog group.

The study, released Monday by Texans for Public Justice, dives deep into the political spending of folks associated with 38 projects that drew a total of roughly $307 million in state grants from the Texas Enterprise Fund, a job creation program that has drawn the ire of lawmakers this session because of a perceived lack of transparency.

The bottom line, according to the study: Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus are reaping financial windfalls from executives and investors that have landed state grants under the program.

Specifically, the study finds Gov. Rick Perry has collected more than $2 million in related contributions since the fund was created in 2003. Perry’s biggest donor related to the fund is Houston Texans owner Robert McNair, who is a major investor in Lexicon Pharmaceuticals. Lexicon is a partner with the Texas Institute of Genomic Medicine, which received $50 million from the enterprise fund in 2005.

Dewhurst raked in $1.3 million contributions, with San Antonio’s James Leininger coming in as his top enterprise-fund contributor. Leininger invested in biotech firm Gradalis, which was awarded a $1.75 million grant in 2009 from another state incentive fund.

Strauss, who did not start helping oversee the fund’s grant-awarding process until he took over as House Speaker in 2009, racked up the least enterprise-fund contributions. According to the study, he brought in $232,800 in enterprise-fund contributions, with 90 percent of that total coming since he was elected House Speaker.

Like Perry, McNair is also Straus’ top fund-related donor (San Antonio’s Rackspace Hosting, which received a $22 million TEF grant in 2007, was also one of Straus’ top enterprise-fund donors, giving $34,750).